* Press Release

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 TO ANNOUNCE WINNER APRIL 8;
VOTE NOW FOR FAVOURITE FINALIST

winner to be revealed live, on-air during CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA playoff preview

The search for Canada ’s most spirited hockey community is back in the hands of hockey-crazed Canadians as KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 gets ready to crown this year’s winner. The first place community will receive a prize package that includes a 2008/09 NHL pre-season game played at their community arena, a visit from CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA and $100,000 towards arena upgrades from Kraft Canada. The four runner-up communities will also be awarded $20,000 towards arena upgrades from Kraft. The crowning achievement will be shown, on April 8 at 7:00 p.m. local during CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA : Playoff Preview 2008, a special presentation of the 2008 NHL Playoffs.

Canadians are encouraged to vote online (www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville) or via telephone (1-888-843-5604) for their favourite KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 finalist, even if their hometown isn’t in the running. Voting began Saturday, March 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Online voters have until Friday, April 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Telephone voters have until Sunday, April 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET. Audience voters may select one community per on-line session or per telephone call. Voting is unlimited.

The final five contenders for KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 are:
· Port aux Basques, NL (representing Atlantic region)
· Roberval, QC (representing Québec region)
· Kingsville, ON (representing Ontario region)
· Wilcox, SK (representing Western region)
· Pilot Mound, MB (wild card)

“As we enter the final stage of this year’s competition, it’s vital that members from each of the top five communities encourage as many people as they can to vote for their submission,” said Dino Bianco, President, Kraft Canada. “Tell your neighbours, friends and family and get all of them to vote and support your entry.”

Since the competition began on December 1, 2007, over 1,100 submissions poured in from coast-to-coast-to-coast, smashing previous records and making KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 the most successful competition to date.

Over 1.7 million people voted to select the top five communities from a list of top 10 communities during the initial selection phase of KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 - once again breaking previous records. Please visit www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville to see the Top Ten voting results.

For more information on the KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2008 competition please visit www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville

Klippers headed to the Cup Finals

* Article courtesy of sjhl.ca

Kirk Pearce played the role of hero in game six as he scored at 4:27 of the second overtime as the Klippers defeated Melville 3-2 to win the series 4-games-to-2.

The Klippers took advantage of quick strikes all series long and they did that again late in the second period to go ahead 2-0 as Ryan Sawka, quiet all series long, scored twice in a span of 1:16. It was Sawka’s first two goals of the series as it was his turn to shine during a time in which linemates Brett Leedahl and Jonathan Redlick had a field day at Melville’s expense. Leedahl, who leads all SJHLers with 24-points in 14-playoff games, finished the series with five goals and nine points. Redlick had three goals and nine points. Sawka still battled and finished with seven points as Melville’s failure to contain the best line in the league was their undoing.

Ryan Nieszner was within 3:43 of a shutout, but the Mils showed how they can be gutsy in their own right by scoring two quick late third period markers courtesy of Matt Kinnunen and Kale Dolinski.

The Klippers outscored Melville 11-4 during the third period and overtime, winning twice in OT in the series. This, despite being outshot by the Millionaires in every single contest (final shots in game six still pending Sunday night).

Nieszner, who took over from Matt Weninger in the first period of game one, was a standout in the series as well as he posted a 2.13-GAA and a .940-SPCT.

The Klippers were also able to do something the rest of the SJHL hadn’t been able to do since late January, and that was get to Joe Rodwell. Rodwell, who was apparently injured, ended the series with a 2.75-GAA and a .904-SPCT, which was well below his overall numbers of 1.81 and .932 in the playoffs.

Playoff dates for Kindersley and Humboldt will be posted on the SJHL website as soon as they are finalized.

Broncos sweep the Bombers, Nelson re-writes the record books again

The Humboldt Broncos are headed to the Credential Cup Finals once again thanks to a solid 3-0 victory of the Flin Flon Bombers. The Bombers couldn't be blamed for a lack of effort in this game as they came out firing in the first period. 16 shots made there way to Taylor Nelson who has been a freak in the Bronco's net during these entire playoffs and season (more on him later).

After weathering the storm it was Radville, SK native, Tanner Vandesype who would score the only goal the Broncos would need at 6:22 of the second period. Laurent Benjamin would add another goal late in the period to make it 2-0 heading into the final frame.

Humboldt didn't give the Bombers much room for a comeback as they controlled the majority of play in the third before Benjamin would add an empty net goal (2nd of the night) to seal the deal and end Flin Flon's season.

Taylor Nelson of the Humboldt Broncos finished with 38-saves in all as he blanks the Bombers for the third game in a row and has reached an SJHL record with a shutout streak of two hundred, twenty-four minutes, and fourteen seconds (224:14) and has lowered his miniscule playoff GAA to 1.35 and his SPCT now increases to .947.

Nelson breaks former Yorkton goalie Kevin Dziaduck's playoff standard, which was set in 2004-05 at 203:51.

Nelson already owns SJHL records for most career shutouts, most shutouts in a season, and lowest goals against average in a season.

For an in depth look at Taylor Nelson's stats you can find an article located at www.sjhl.ca

- Troy K

Mils Regain Home Ice Advantage With Win!

The Melville Millionaires have tied up their best of seven series with the Kindersley Klippers at two games apiece after posting a 4-1 beating on the Klippers on Wednesday night.

The Millionaires changed up goaltenders tonight as Travis Bosch got the start and he did not disappoint turning aside 21 of 22 Kindersley shots. Joe Rodwell had started all of Melville's playoff games before tonight. Derek Edwards got Melville on the board with an unassisted marker just 55 seconds into the game to give the Mils an early jump. Brett Leedahl would answer on the power play for the Klippers just under three minutes later from Jonathan Redlick and Justin Perreaux. Dion Campbell would give Melville a 2-1 lead at the 9:08 mark of the second period from Edwards and Kale Dolinski. Jordan Wilson would add a power play goal four minutes later to make it 3-1 Mils through two periods of play. Daniel Hope would add a late third period power play goal from Levi Lind and Chris Shudo to put an exclamanation mark on the win.

In Flin Flon, home ice did not provide a cure what ails the Bombers as they were shutout 4-0 by the Humboldt Broncos. The Broncos take a commanding 3-0 series lead and have outscored the Bombers 13-1 through three games. Jordan Schindel had three assists for the Broncos to lead the way offensively. Brayden Klimosko added a goal and an assist with goals also going to Shawn Hunter, Laurent Benjamin and Steven Schroeder. Brady Wacker added two assists in the big Broncos win. Taylor Nelson picked up his second consecutive shutout and has a shutout string that goes back to early in the first period of Game 1. Nelson made 26 saves. Carsen Chubak got the start again for the Bombers, making 29 saves. Humboldt can wrap up the series tomorrow night in Flin Flon.

- Brad M.

Klippers Take Over Lead in Series!

The Melville Millionaires jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead but could not hold on as they fell 4-2 to the Kindersley Klippers in Kindersley on Tuesday night.

Levi Lind scored on the power play less than four minutes into period one from Daniel Hope and Scott Hennings to give the Mils a 1-0 lead. The Mils would go up 2-0 on another power play just under 10 minutes later as Kale Dolinski picked up the goal from Brad Johnston and Chris Shudo. The Klippers would then get on the board with just 16 seconds remaining in period one as Casey Rempel scored from Ryan Sawka, again a power play goal, to cut the Melville lead to 2-1. Following a scoreless second, the Klippers came to play in the third period. Brett Leedahl would score his third of the playoffs to tie the game at 5:41 of the third (another power play goal). Jonathan Redlick and Jayde Dunser assisted on the goal. The Klippers would then take the lead with 5:46 remaining in regulation as Jeremy Beller picked up the game's first even-strength goal from Jordan Braid and Ben Ritchie. The Millionaires trailing by one, would take an untimely too many men penalty with just 1:07 to play, to take the wind out of their sails. Beller would score into the empty net with 25 seconds remaining from Matt Sawa and Scott Linnell to seal the victory. The Millionaires through everything but the kitchen sink at Ryan Niesnzer as he made an unbelievable 47 saves. Joe Rodwell took the loss despite making 33 saves in the Melville goal. The Klippers now take a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 in Kindersley tomorrow night. The Itech Conference final will resume action again tomorrow night as Game Three will take place in Flin Flon as the Humboldt Broncos come in with a 2-0 series lead.

- Brad M.

Broncos Take Commanding 2-0 Series lead!

The Flin Flon Bombers provided a much tougher opposition on Easter Sunday night in Humboldt but could not find a way to beat Broncos goaltender Taylor Nelson as Humboldt won by a score of 2-0.

Nelson made 22 saves for the shutout. Shawn Hunter scored 8:07 into the first period and that was the only goal the Broncos would need on their way to victory. Scott Schroeder and Tanner Vandesype assisted on the goal. Eddie Gale added an empty netter from Brayden Klimosko with two seconds remaining to seal the win. Carsen Chubak was spectacular in defeat as he made 38 saves in the Flin Flon goal. The Bombers are leaning on Chubak now as Calvin Bartel was injured in the series versus Melfort. The series shifts to Flin Flon now for games three and four on Wednesday and Thursday night. The Bombers will most likely be a much tougher team to play at the Whitney Forum.

- Brad M.

Wilcox is Hockeyville

Wilcox, SK was the place to be this weekend. Kraft Hockeyville reps as well as CBC personalities Kelly Hrudey and Scott Oake gave the residents plenty to get excited about as they filmed live in Wilcox on Saturday.



It was red and white as far as the eye could see in Duncan McNeil Arena for the majority of the afternoon as well as late into the evening. The fans were treated to two great games as the SFMAAAHL Notre Dame Hound girls defeated the Swift Current Wildcats by a score of 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead while the SMAAAHL Notre Dame Hounds lost by a score of 2-1 versus the Saskatoon Blazers.

The loss didn't get their spirits down for long as they were then treated to an Alumni game before they all got to hit the ice for the After Hours broadcast.

This was definitely the story of the night was having the opportunity to host the CBC crew and have the chance to show off their hockey and community spirit in hopes of winning the 2008 Kraft Hockeyville contest. Being named in the top five has already secured them a price of $20,000 but if they win. A grand prize of $100,000 will be awarded to upgrade their arena….But wait, that’s not all. They will also host a pre-season NHL game in their home arena.

Voting for the top five finalists starts in six days, so remember to do it as often as you can. You are not limited to just one vote. You can vote as many times as you want!

To place your votes you can log on to www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville or call 1-888-843-5604.

Also,, a full photo gallery from this weekend will be made available ASAP.

...I am well aware that this isn't Weyburn Red Wing related but this is huge for SK and they need each and everyone's support. So put all your grudges aside and give a vote for Wilcox!

- Troy K

Klippers Even Up Series, Broncos Win Game 1!

The Kindersley Klippers earned a split on the road as they got by the Melville Millionaires 3-2 in oT on Saturday night in Melville.

Brett Leedahl scored his first of the playoffs 14:54 into the first period to give the Klippers a 1-0 lead. Ryan Sawka and Justin Perreaux assisted on the goal. The Klippers took a 2-0 lead at 7:57 of the second period when Jonathan Redlick scored his third goal of the series from Sawka and Leedahl. Kale Dolinski brought the Millionaires within one before the end of the second period as he also scored his third of the series from Dion Campbell and Brad Johnston. With the net empty and on the power play, the Millionaires tied the game with 56 seconds remaining in regulation as Dion Campbell took the shot from the point which was tipped by Daniel Hope to make it 2-2. Bryant Dyke also assisted on the goal. Leedahl would be the overtime hero with just one second remaining in the overtime period as he would pick up his second goal of the game from Milo Miller and Redlick to even up the series. Ryan Nieszner got his first start of the playoffs and the SJHL all star did not disappoint as he made 41 saves for the win. Joe Rodwell took the loss despite making stopping 29 of the 32 shots he faced. The series shifts to Kindersley now for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

In Humboldt, the Broncos scored 7 unanswered goals on there way to a 7-1 blowout victory over the visiting Flin Flon Bombers. Voldy Dashko and Matthew Kirzinger each had a goal and an assist for the Broncos. Edward Gale, Justin Stoski, Tory Allan, Tanner Vandesype and Shawn Hunter also scored for Humboldt. Steven Schroeder added two assists for the Broncos who also got helpers from Jordan Schindel, Matt Rintoul, Russell Nielsen, Brady Wacker and Scott Schroeder. Matt Dyck scored the lone Bombers goal from Barrett Penner and Harley Garrioch. The Bombers had to play much of the game without two defensemen as Jean-Sebastien Bergeron was ejected for a checking from behind infraction and Michael Young was ejected after receiving a boarding major and game misconduct. Taylor Nelson made 34 saves through 57 plus minutes of work and Andrew Bodnarchuk came in for the final couple of minutes of the game. Carsen Chubak got the start for the Bombers stopping 36 shots.

- Brad M.

Mils Draw First Blood!

After what seemed like an eternity, the SJHL Sherwood conference final got under way this evening in Melville as the Millionaires hosted the Kindersley Klippers in Game 1.

Melville would open up a 3-0 lead through the first period on the the strength of two goals from Kale Dolinski as well as a goal from Levi Lind. The Klippers would get on the board 4:48 into the second period as Kirk Pearce buried his third goal of the playoffs from Matt Sawa and Casey Rempel. Exactly one minute later, Chris Shudo would regain the three goal lead for the Mils as he notched an unassisted marker to make it 4-1. The Millionaires would then take a commanding 5-1 lead as Dion Campbell scored a short-handed goal with assists going to Austin Krahenbil and Derek Edwards. That goal would prove huge for the Millionaires as the Klippers would score three unanswered goals in third, the last with only two seconds remaining to make things interesting. Jonathan Redlick scored two of the third period goals for the Klippers while Ryan Sawka also added a goal. Jordan Wilson, Michael Jordan, Scott Hennings and Campbell all added assists for Melville. Matt Sawa ended the night with three assists for the Klippers. Joe Rodwell picked up the win in the Melville goal where final shots were not immediately known. Matt Weninger, who was arguably Kindersley's best player in the Weyburn series, was chased from the net early tonight as he allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first 10 minutes of the game. Ryan Nieszner came in relief and allowed two goals the rest of the way. Hockey fever is strong in Melville as over 1100 fans were crammed into the old barn. The series resumes with Game 2 in Melville tomorrow night.

The Itech Conference final will get underway tomorrow night in Humboldt as the Broncos pay host to the Flin Flon Bombers.

- Brad M.

Separated at birth?

There was some discussion last night when goalie AJ Whiffen walked up to accept his awards last night. It looked like Alexander Ovechkin was up on the stage.

You be the judge!

- Troy K

Red Wings Award Night

The 2007/08 Weyburn Red Wings gathered for the last time this year during their annual awards night held at the McKenna Hall last night.

Here are the award winners from the evening:

Weyburn Security Award, Gentlemanly Conduct - Torrey Lindsay

Nimegeers, Schuck, Wormsbecker & Bobbit Community Service Award - Carter Selinger

Lloyd Reiser Memorial Award, Most Points Scored in The Playoffs - Stephen Simms/Rhett Bly

Harold (Bud) Rodine Memorial Award, Most Valuable Defenceman - Kyle Haines

York Jewellers Award, Most Improved Red Wing Player - Brayden Nargang

Barber Motors Award, Most Valuable Forward - Preston Shupe

Weyburn Co-op Award, Top Red Wing Scorer - Josh Bray

Royal Canadian Legion Award, Best Player During The Playoffs - Kyle Haines

Dee Jay's Kentucky Fried Chicken Award, Most Popular Player(selected by the fans) - Rhett Bly

Weimer's Hometown Award, Best Defensive Forward - Eric Calibaba

Nick Elchuk Memorial Award, Most Popular Player(selected by the team) - Andrew Perrault and Adam Feniak

Unsung Hero Award: Sponsored by Altus Geomatics - Michael Seib

Marcel Labelle Memorial Award, Red Wing Displaying the Most Dedication and Ability - Nick Needham

Fellner Farms Award, Rock'em Sock'em Award - Michael Seib

Graham Christie Memorial Award, Most Inspirational Red Wing - Connor Krukowski

Mel's on Third Rookie of the Year Award - AJ Whiffen

Hoium's M.V.P. Sports Award, Most Valuable Player - AJ Whiffen

To see some pictures from the evening just click on the following link. Click here!


- Troy K

I got the call

This morning I got a call from the reps at Kraft Hockeyville giving me an all access pass for the weekend in Wilcox. Needless to say I am looking forward to it.

I am looking to set up interviews with Wendel Clark, Kelly Hrudey and Scott Oake during my time in Wilcox this weekend. I will have plenty of pictures to take as well so I hope to see some Weyburnites make the trip down to Wilcox this weekend to show their support. It should be a great weekend to come out and enjoy the festivities.

....On tonight’s agenda is the Red Wings Awards Night at McKenna Hall. We hope to see plenty of people out to support the boys for another hard fought season. Just a quick reminder, drinks start at 6:00 with the supper at 7:00 p.m.

Pictures from the evening will be posted shortly after.

- Troy K

Wilcox Hockeyville Schedule

* I pulled this info from the Notre Dame website (www.notredame.sk.ca) for those of you who are interested in heading out to Wilcox this weekend to see some of events taking place, I hope to head out there myself and get some pictures if I have time....

Wilcox will have the opportunity to host Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey of Hockey Night in Canada live on Saturday March 22, 2008. Events will begin in the morning and run all day, capping off the day with a Notre Dame Hounds Alumni game featuring former Hounds such as Gord Sherven, Dale Derkatch and Wendel Clark.

Kraft Canada and CBC have been challenging communities from coast to coast to demonstrate their passion for the game and earn the coveted title of Kraft Hockeyville 2008. Whether your community is a small rural town or in a big urban city, Canada's fiercest competition, Kraft Hockeyville, is back! Along with the hometown pride that comes along with being crowned Kraft Hockeyville 2008, the ultimate hockey community wins $100 000 to remodel their local arena and the opportunity to host a Pre-Season NHL Game at their community arena.

Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Canada is situated midway between Moose Jaw and Weyburn on the Soo Line and Highway 39. The population of the Village is 275 people. Wilcox is also home to the world renowned Athol Murray College Of Notre Dame which is an international Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school for students in grades 9 to 12.

Notre Dame Hounds are known internationally for their athletic achievements. Countless Hounds have advanced to post-secondary, amateur and pro-ranks over the years, thanks largely to the College's commitment to developing the whole athlete - on and off the ice/court/playing field. In 2006 alone, Notre Dame Hounds were awarded more than $1.6 million in athletic and academic scholarships to U.S. and Canadian universities.

For more information regarding this event please feel free to contact Dawn Froats at (306)732-2080 ext: 339 or by email at d.froats@notredame.sk.ca

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

12:30PM
Don Cherry & Ron McLean Contest & Kraft Contest (Gym)

1:00PM
Mini Sticks Tournament (Gym)

3:00PM
Mass

5:45PM
Staff vs. Student Game

7:00PM
Movie in Gymnasium for all students Sponsored by Kraft

7:30PM
Meet & Greet Social in Archives (invitation only)

SATURDAY

9:00 AM
Pancake Breakfast (at Town Rink)

10:30-11:30AM
Wilcox 3 on 3 Youth All Stars

1:00 - 4:00PM
Road Hockey Tournament

1:30 - 3:30PM
Potential Game (waiting to find out BANTAM AAA)

2:00 - 4:00PM
Autograph Session

4:30PM- 6:30PM
Midget AAA Girls vs. Swift Current

4:00PM- 6:00PM
Burger Night -- Gymnasium

7:00PM
Red & White Night Warm UP

7:30PM
Midget AAA Hounds vs.??

9:50PM - 10:30PM
Notre Dame Hounds Alumni Game Featuring: Dale Derkatch, Gord Sherven, Wendel Clark, Guest Coaches Terry O'Malley & Barry McKenzie

10:45PM
After Hours Show... Open Ice Skating on Ice

From CBC:

This information below applies to the public vote for the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2008 and form part of the Official Rules for Kraft Hockeyville 2008.

Audiences can vote for their favourite Community within the Top Five (regardless of Region). The public voting period will be from March 29, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. EDT (after the fifth and final Top Five Community broadcast on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Game #2) to April 4, 2008 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT (the "Voting Period").

Audiences can vote online at www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville or via toll free telephone 1-888-843-5604. Audience voters may select one Community per on-line session or per telephone call. Voting is unlimited.

Votes received via online and telephone will be accumulated. The Community that receives the highest number of votes during the "Voting Period" will be named Kraft Hockeyville 2008. The Grand Prize Community will be announced live on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC April 5, 2008.

Conference Finals Schedule

*Courtesy of sjhl.ca

Conference Championship – March 21 –April 1, 2008

Winner vs Winner of Semi Finals will play a Best of Seven series

Winners advance to Credential Cup Championship

SHERWOOD CONFERENCE
2) Melville vs. 3) Kindersley

March 21 Kindersley at Melville, 7:30pm
March 22 Kindersley at Melville, 7:30pm
March 25 Melville at Kindersley, 7pm
March 26 Melville at Kindersley, 7pm
March 28 Kindersley at Melville, 7:30pm *
March 30 Melville at Kindersley, 7pm *
April 1  Kindersley at Melville, 7:30pm *


ITECH CONFERENCE
1) Humboldt vs. 3) Flin Flon

March 22 Flin Flon at Humboldt, 7:30pm
March 23 Flin Flon at Humboldt, 6:30pm
March 26 Humboldt at Flin Flon, 7:30pm (Mba)
March 27 Humboldt at Flin Flon, 7:30pm (Mba)
March 29 Flin Flon at Humboldt, 7:30pm
March 30 Humboldt at Flin Flon, 7:30pm (Mba)
April 1 Flin Flon at Humboldt, 7:30pm

Flin Flon shuts out Melfort and head to the Itech Finals

The Finals are set thanks the an upset in the Itech Conference. The Flin Flon Bombers once again shut out the Melfort Mustangs to win the series 4-2.

Barrett Penner scored what would eventually be the game winning goal at 5:37 of the first period while Dennis Kubat added another at 17:52 of the second to make it 2-0 after two periods of play. That is all the offence the Bombers would need as goaltender Carsen Chubak turned aside 13 shots in the third period and 27 in total for the shutout. Chubak has been playing some great hockey since stepping in for Calvin Bartel but will be in for a huge test when they take on the Humboldt Broncos.

Itech Conference Finals:
Flin Flon VS Humboldt

Sherwood Conference Finals:
Melville VS Kindersley

Schedules will be posted when they are available.

- Troy K

More pics

Randy Mazenc e-mailed me some pictures he took during the Red Wings final game. If you want to take a look at them just click here.




Once again a big thanks goes out to Randy for the shots. They look great!

- Troy K

Double OT victory sends the Klippers to the Sherwood Finals!

I am sure everyone already knows by now but it’s my job to put it up on here. The Kindersley Klippers finished off our Weyburn Red Wings by a score of 3-2 in double overtime last night.

Despite firing over 50 shots on Klippers goalie Matt Weninger the Red Wings just couldn’t get one past the netminder in the extra periods. Kindersley rewarded their goaltender for a fantastic performance at 5:29 of double OT when Jonathan Redlick scored on the powerplay to end the game and the series.

The Kindersley Klippers now move on to face the Melville Millionaires in the Sherwood Conference Finals while Weyburn prepare for their year end banquet which will be scheduled at a later date.

On tonight’s SJHL schedule is two games. Nipawin will try to stay alive versus Humboldt who have a 3-1 series lead and the Flin Flon Bombers look to take out the Melfort Mustangs who are also down 3-1.

I am sure people will be busy looking back on what the boys did or didn’t do right, but for now let’s just give them a great big thanks for one heck of a season!

Good job boys, I know we didn’t want it to end this early but that’s how it goes sometimes.

- Troy K

Melville on to Sherwood Final!

The Melville Millionaires have yet to lose a game in the playoffs as they completed the sweep of the rival Yorkton Terriers by a score of 2-0 in enemy terrritory on Thursday night.

Joe Rodwell made 20 saves for his second shutout of the postseason and the Millionaires got goals from Chris Shudo and Kale Dolinski in the win. Dion Campbell added two assists with Jeremie Houde also picking up a helper. Lynden Sammartino did all he could in the Yorkton goal as he made 35 saves in his final SJHL game. Along with Sammartino, the Terriers also graduate Kyle Block, Chris Cook, Ken Petkau, and Jordan Pawelec. It is also believed that Michael Trebish will be off to an NCAA Division 1 school but please correct me if I am wrong. Best of luck to all of the graduating Terriers as they move on and congratulations to the Millionaires and head coach Jamie Fiesel for advancing on to the division final.

Elsewhere tonight....

The Flin Flon Bombers took a strangehold over the Melfort Mustangs as they won 6-5 in overtime on home ice to take a 3-1 series lead. Game Five goes Saturday night in Melfort. David Linsley was the hero for the Bombers as he scored 1:28 into the extra period. Linsley and Dennis Kubat each had two goals and an assist for the Bombers. Brennan Cox and Tommy Castonguay also scored for Flin Flon. Dominic Martel added two assists including one on the game winner. Nick Kalnicki scored twice for the Mustangs who also got goals from Jordan Morgan, Kyle Fraser and Jason Walker. Calvin Bartel made 31 saves in the Bombers goal. Ilia Ejov allowed six goals on 34 shots in the Melfort goal. The Mustangs forced overtime with just nine seconds remaining in regulation on Walker's goal.

The Nipawin Hawks live to see another day as they downed the Humboldt Broncos 4-3 on home ice. The Hawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead before allowing three goals in the final 4 minutes of the game to make things very interesting. Mike Rey, who has had a superb playoffs, had the game winner for the Hawks and added an assist. Kenton Miller, Brent Ottmann and Taylor Thiessen also scored for Nipawin. Eddie Gale and Jordan Schindel each had a goal and an assist for the Broncos while Matt Kirzinger also scored. Daniel DiCamillo picked up the win in goal while Taylor Nelson suffered the loss. Game 5 goes Saturday night back at the EPA in Humboldt.

Just a reminder ..... get behind the Wings and lets help them rally back as they host the Kindersley Klippers tomorrow night. The guys feed off of a loud and boisterous crowd. Let's help create a true playoff atmosphere for the guys as they begin there quest for three straight wins.

- Brad M.

Check this out!

Randy Mazenc of Radville emailed some action shots to Tanya at the Red Wing office just last week which she forwarded to me. He took some great shots while he was at the opening game versus Kindersley that I wanted to show you.

He also took some pictures of the guys this year for their parents and made some posters for all the boys. After seeing some of the stuff he did I wanted to get a hold of him and see if we could get him some more business around here. I mean why hire Regina businesses when you can have someone around here do it.

Randy has been taking professional pics for the last five years and he has been shooting a lot of weddings but lately he has been getting more and more interested in shooting sports shots. Earlier this year he did some work for the 1190 Atoms hockey team which he had a blast with but when he got the call from the Red Wings he wanted to be even better prepared. He went and purchased the Nikon D3 (This thing is worth 5x my car, needless to say I drive a crappy car but that's beside the point).

“It’s supposed to be the low light champ for sports shots and I have to say, it doesn’t seem to disappoint,” he said.

As you can see the results speak for them self. If you want to see some more of Randy’s work then you can head on over to his website at www.clikpic.com/impact. There is contact information on the site but if you wish to call him to set up an appointment you can find him under Impact Images in the Weyburn Yellow Pages.

Click here to check out Randy's action shots!

- Troy K

It's crunch time for the Wings, Klippers lead series 3-1

The Red Wings go from a major high to a major low in less than 24 hours as the Kindersley Klippers took a 3-1 series lead tonight with a 5-2 victory.

I got an email from co-writer Brad McNeil tonight asking if I would do the post game write up because he might not have been to friendly to the referees tonight. I didn’t have a chance to listen to the game tonight but just by looking at the stats you can tell the Red Wings were in tough.

The Klippers took advantage by scoring three powerplay goals tonight while the Red Wings fired one powerplay goal home in the third period to make the game interesting. Torrey Lindsay scored at 11:07 in the final frame to cut the Klippers lead to just one goal to give the boys some hope, but that is as close as they would come.

The super line of Sawka, Leedahl and Redlick then took over. At 16:03 Sawka scored to give the Klippers another two goal lead. Then it was Redlick who would end all hope for the Red Wings as he scored at 18:25 with assists going to Sawka and Leedahl.

The Red Wings will now try to hold off the Klippers in game five at the Colosseum on Friday night. Game time is 7:30.

It would be great if we could get some more fans out to this next game to cheer on the boys. We haven’t been seeing a huge turnout in these playoffs and it would be great to have some fans cheer them on when they need it the most.

- Troy K

This one has to be the winner!

Well I swung by the Heritage Fair at Assinaboia Park Elementary School for work today and took a picture specifically for the blog. It was Brooke Erickson's(Tanner's sister) project which was on the one, the only, Dwight McMillan!

She has some stiff competition at the Hertiage Fair but with Red Wings fans, I am sure she wins hands down!

She even got to borrow a few things from Dwight such as medals, trophies and a RBC Championship ring that you can see her wearing in the picture. She also had a nice picture of Dwight wayyyy back in his rookie season as a player with the Weyburn Red Wings.

Anyway, I thought I would show you all and just wish her good luck!

- Troy K

Quotes from coach McMillan

This morning I gave Dwight a quick phone call to get some comments from him regarding the game last night, so here they are.

TK: You finally got a one goal game to go in your favour, are you excited to extend the series and get another game back on home ice?

McMillan: Yah we are. You have to get that first win out of the way to get your second one and we finally did that. We really got our powerplay going for us last night and it made a world of difference for us.


TK: A couple guys busted out of a scoring slump last night, especially Preston Shupe. How huge is that for the team?

McMillan: Oh that is real huge for us. When he scores on the powerplay he turns the game around for us. When that line is scoring, it makes the difference and they weren’t doing that until last night when they got all four goals for us.


TK: Redlick, Sawka and Leedahl terrorized the team all night and racked up nine points. How are you going to shut down that top line tonight?

McMillan: Well that’s a good question. They are a powerful line and I don’t think you can shut them down but you can defenitly slow them down.


TK: Finally, how is Josh Bray looking for tonight? Will he be playing after coming out of the game with an injury last night?

McMillan: No, he will be out of the line-up for tonight.

We are back in this thing!

The Weyburn Red Wings managed to take down the Klippers tonight by a score of 4-3. It took and extra period to get the job done but the hero of the night was Preston Shupe (4 point night) as he scored nearly halfway through overtime to end it.

Things got started in the first period as the line of Sawka, Leedahl and Redlick opened the scoring at 10:03. Sawka put the first one past Whiffen but Weyburn stormed back as Shupe and Doody scored one a piece to grab a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.

It was once again Kindersley’s top line who came out firing in the second as Redlick scored at 8:42, assists went to Sawka and Leedahl. Then it was Sawka scoring his second of the night at 11:29, assists went to Redlick and Leehdahl. The Red Wings didn’t let the Klippers hold the lead for long. Torrey Lindsay scored at 13:35 to tie it up at three a piece. Assisting on the goal was Bly and Shupe.

With a scoreless third period the boys headed to overtime. Overtime was delayed by over 40 minutes due to some ice problems near the Kindersley net. Finally when it got started it was Preston Shupe who ended it on the powerplay it to cut the Klippers series lead 2-1.

In other news around the league.

Melville won by a score of 7-4 over the Yorkton Terriers to take a 3-0 series lead. Melfort grabbed a 3-0 win over the Flin Flon Bombers to cut their series lead to 2-1. Humboldt also won by a score of 5-2 over Nipawin to grab a 3-0 lead in their series.

The Weyburn Red Wings will again take on the Kindersley Klippers tomorrow night in Kindersley. They are hoping to tie the series at two games a piece before heading back home to Weyburn on Friday, March 14 for game number five.

- Troy K

Beer has been good to the Wings!

Last night at the City Council meeting, Council members discussed the Weyburn Red Wings. It was regarding the beer in the stands. They had planned on taking a look back at the policy following a two month period in September and October of 2007 but have held off until now.

The Councillors basically said how impressed they were with everyone who has made this a success. They haven’t heard any complaints from the fans or the rink staff regarding the alcohol and they will review it once again at the end of the season to see if the organization is as happy with it as they are.

I have had the opportunity to clean up the stands following a few Red Wing games and it hasn’t been a problem for me or the other staff. It might add a few extra cups to sweep but I think we usually sweep up more ice cream cups than anything else. The only thing we should get rid of is the people who chew and spit in the stands, it's just gross and nasty to clean.

Personally I think the beer has been a nice touch to the games and actually it has been bringing in a nice little piece of revenue to the team. Tanya at the Red Wing office mentioned that this year their gross total is $15,779.32. After expenses they have probably brought in about $8500. This is nearly triple what they made last year. The Red Wings gross total last season was just $3100, add on the expenses and you can cut that number in half.

Good job on making this work everyone!

- Troy K

Klippers Take Stranglehold on Slumping Wings!

The Kindersley Klippers did the unthinkable and won two games in two nights in Weyburn to take a commanding 2-0 series lead after skating away with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

Kirk Pearce, who has been a Red Wing killer all season, scored his first of the night at 15:27 of the first period from Brett Leedahl and Ryan Sawka to put the Klippers up 1-0. That lead would be short lived as Rhett Bly would tie things up as he did a beautiful deke on Klippers goaltender Matt Weninger and just 36 seconds after Pearce's goal. Torrey Lindsay had the lone assist on the goal. The Klippers would regain the lead with a power play marker at the 13:47 mark of the second period as Sawka picked up his first goal of the playoffs from Jonathan Redlick and Leedahl. Pearce would then score his second of the night and the eventual game winner just under three minutes later as he picked up the puck in a goal mouth scramble and beat Whiffen to make it 3-1. Matt Sawa and Steven Turner assisted on the goal. Josh Bray would make things interesting with just over six minutes to play in the third as he scored his first goal of the playoffs on a nice feed from Brayden Nargang. Matt Weninger had another strong start for the Klippers as he made 34 saves enroute to victory. AJ Whiffen made 27 saves in the Weyburn goal.

There was a bit of a melee in section A after some mouthy Kindersley fans egged on some Weyburn fans who were leaving the rink. Not sure exactly what came out of it but hopefully the guys from Weyburn kicked some you know what so that we could say we won something tonight.

Games 3 and 4 go back in Kindersley on Tuesday and Wednesday night and please note they are 7:00 starts. Kevin Smith will have the play by play for you both nights from the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley. You can listen online at www.discoverweyburn.com or on the radio dial AM1190. I wish I could go along for the trip but with my busy season at work I will not be able to go along.

- Brad M.

Congratulations Stephen Simms!

Stephen Simms

Weyburn Red Wings

1988 born defenseman Stephen Simms has accepted a scholarship to Lake Superior State, an NCAA school that is no stranger to recruiting out of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Simms had 9-goals and 31-assists in 58-games this past season and scored 10-goals and 27-assists in 56-games as a rookie in 2006-07. The Reidville NF product also played in the CJAHL Prospects Game in 2006-07 and in 2007-08, he was the third highest scoring blueliner in the SJHL. LSSU has former SJHLers Troy Schwab, Josh Sim, Chad Nehring, Dillin Stonehouse, and Tyson Hobbins on its roster this season.

Klippers Steal Game One in OT!

The Kindersley Klippers got the start they were looking for on the road as they skated to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Weyburn Red Wings at the Colosseum in front of a disappointingly small and quiet crowd (other than a few of you and you know who you are).
The game started off with a bang as the two captains - Kyle Haines and Matt Sawa dropped the gloves just 12 seconds into the game to set an early tone for the series.
Brayden Nargang got the Wings going on the power play as he picked up the rebound and put the puck into an empty net past a sprawling Matt Weninger to make it 1-0 at the 8:38 mark of the opening period. Josh Bray and Stephen Simms assisted on the goal. The Klippers would get things going early in the second period as Matt Sawa scored his first of two on the night with the lone assist going to Kirk Pearce (who I thought may have been the Klippers best player tonight). Rhett Bly would give the Wings the lead back at 6:58 as he snuck a shot through the five hole of Weninger to make it 2-1. Simms and Preston Shupe assisted on the goal. The Klippers tied things up again at the 15:16 mark of the second as Jonathan Redlick picked up his first of the playoffs with a power play marker. Brett Leedahl and Casey Rempel assisted. The Klippers would take there first lead of the game at the 5:08 mark of the third as Mat Olson beat AJ Whiffen with a weak wrister from the slot to make it 3-2. Ryan Sawka and Leedahl assisted on the goal. Luke Johnson forced the extra frame with 4:44 to play in the third period as he snuck a wrist shot on the short side of Weninger to make it 3-3. Mick Pawlyshyn and Simms (with his third point of the night), picked up the assists. The Wings would get a power play opportunity in the overtime after Scott Linnell was called for hooking but could not capitalize. The Klippers would then get a power play of there own nine minutes into the overtime period after AJ Whiffen intentionally took his mask off to get a whistle and was tagged with a delay of game penalty. The Klippers would make the Wings pay as Sawa picked up his second of the night to give Kindersley the win. Jayde Dunser and Pearce assisted on the game winner. Matt Weninger made 35 saves to pick up the win while Whiffen made 36 saves in the Weyburn goal. Game 2 will go tomorrow night at the Colosseum at 7:30. Hope to see a lot more people tomorrow night. Hopefully the idiots that threw pop bottles and other things at the Klippers and referees at the end of the game decide to stay home though.

In the other Sherwood conference semi-final the Yorkton Terriers and Melville Millionaires also did extra time with the Millionaires coming out with a 2-1 OT victory on home ice. The Terriers would open the scoring 11:25 into the first period as Evan Neibrandt would score on the breakaway from Jordan Pawelec and Jock Sutter. The Millionaires would respond just over six minutes later on the power play as Kale Dolinski tipped the Dion Campbell point shot. Brad Johnston also assisted on the goal. The two teams would then play two scoreless period before Dolinski picked up his second of the might just 1:37 into overtime from Bryant Dyke and Jordan Wilson to send the Mils faithful home happy. Joe Rodwell was not overly busy in the Melville goal but stopped 15 of 16 shots to pick up the win. Lynden Sammartino was much busier as he stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced. The teams will play Game 2 in Yorkton on Sunday night.

Moving to the Itech conference, the Humboldt Broncos drew first blood in their series with the Nipawin Hawks as they defeated the visiting Hawks 3-1. Matthew Kirzinger, Josh Garneau and Jordan Schindel scored for the Broncos. Tanner Vandesype added two assists for the Broncos who also got helpers from Matt Rintoul and Brady Wacker. Mike Rey picked up the Hawks lone goal from Torrie Dyck. According to the game sheet, Hawks goaltender Derek Kleinsteuber left the game just over seven minutes into the first period without allowing a goal. I am assuming Kleinsteuber was either injured or became ill but have no confirmation at the time of writing. Daniel DiCamillo came in to replace Kleinsteuber and made 24 saves on the night. Taylor Nelson picked up the win for the Broncos as the stopped 18 Nipawin shots. The two teams will play Game 2 in Nipawin on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, in Melfort, the Flin Flon Bombers proved that they can win on the road as they shutout the host Mustangs 4-0. Reid MacLeod paced the Bombers with a goal and an assist. Pierre-Luc Boucher, David Dykstra and Dominic Martel, with an empty netter, also scored for the Bombers. Myles Masse, Dennis Kubat, Calvin Bartel, Cameron MacKinnon, Scott Day and Matt Restoule all added assists. Bartel was sensational in the Bombers goal as he made 35 saves to pick up the shutout. Ilia Ejov had an off night as he only made 15 saves on the night. Game 2 goes in Flin Flon on Sunday night.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Kale Dolinski - Melville Millionaires (2 goal including winner as Mils down Terriers
** Calvin Bartel - Flin Flon Bombers (35 saves in shutout win over Mustangs)
*** Matt Sawa - Kindersley Klippers (2 goals including OT winner in win over Wings.

- Brad M.

Test test....

I have been working on a new blog for the next season and we are looking at getting a new host. Wordpress will be our host. They have many more options for us to use which means the blog should be bigger and better for the next season.

Currently you can check out the basic layout (not a finished copy), it just doesn't have all the links, pics or schedules. Those will be posted next season.

The reason for the switch is basically a safety reason. Wordpress automatically backs up the data and ip addresses are easy to track if inappropriate comments are made.

I was hoping to have the fans look before the season ends so we can get some comments from them before we do a full on switch. I figured the playoffs would be a good time to get comments since our hits our up. So, I just want to know what you would like to see on the blog for next year.

Anyway,,, Take a look at it and post some comments.

www.weyburnwings.wordpress.com

Thanks

- Troy K

Just a preview....

Corey Morrissette, producer at Access Communications and myself went filming some Red Wings stuff for a dvd project that we will be working on over the next couple of months or so.

I just wanted to show you some clips of what we captured during yesterday’s filming. Corey gave me a dvd with the footage which I captured with DVDxDV trial version as you will be able to see. It is a shameless plug for them.

The program is only $25 and is great for people who need something taken off of a dvd and placed on your computers hard drive. I do not condone the burning of copyrighted dvds but if you chose to do something like that, this program is probably pretty good at it!! For those of you who are interested in the program you can click here for instructions how to use it and purchase online.

As for the video clips, they are just some of the things that will be going into the video, this is no where near a finished cut or how any of it is going to look, Corey will be doing the cutting because he is the pro, I just slapped something together. It has just been a slow week around here and I wanted to show you what is in the works. I didn't have much time to put something up but when we have the entire dvd project done, it will be available online.

The background music was Sometimes When You Lose, You Win, By Karate High School. For more music by them just follow this link

- Troy K

Back at work!

I swung by the Weyburn Red Wings afternoon practice today to get some comments from Dwight and take a couple pics while I was there.

Almost all of the boys took in the practice. Plenty of Red Wings have been fighting some injuries but most of them look to be rested up and ready for Friday's game versus the Kindersley Klippers.

I am sure the fans are just as excited as the team. Make sure you come down to the Colosseum to cheer on the Wings.

Click here to see some of the practice pictures.

Make sure to check www.weyburnredwings.ca tomorrow for a new article.

- Troy K

Conference Semi Final Dates

ITECH CONFERENCE

1) Humboldt vs. 5) Nipawin

March 7 Nipawin at Humboldt, 7:30pm
March 9 Humboldt at Nipawin, 7:30pm
March 11 Nipawin at Humboldt, 7:30pm
March 13 Humboldt at Nipawin, 7:30pm
March 15 Nipawin at Humboldt, 7:30pm *
March 16 Humboldt at Nipawin, 7:30pm *
March 18 Nipawin at Humboldt, 7:30pm *

* if necessary

2) Melfort vs. 3) Flin Flon

March 7 Flin Flon at Melfort, 7:30pm
March 9 Melfort at Flin Flon, 7:30pm
March 11 Flin Flon at Melfort, 7:30pm
March 13 Melfort at Flin Flon, 7:30pm
March 15 Flin Flon at Melfort, 7:30pm *
March 16 Melfort at Flin Flon, 7:30pm *
March 18 Flin Flon at Melfort, 7:30pm *

* if necessary

SHERWOOD CONFERENCE

2) Melville vs. 5) Yorkton

March 7 Yorkton at Melville, 7:30pm
March 9 Melville at Yorkton, 7:30pm
March 11 Yorkton at Melville, 7:30pm
March 13 Melville at Yorkton, 7:30pm
March 15 Yorkton at Melville, 7:30pm *
March 16 Melville at Yorkton, 7:30pm *
March 18 Yorkton at Melville, 7:30pm *

* if necessary

1) Weyburn vs. 3) Kindersley

March 7 Kindersley at Weyburn, 7:30pm
March 8 Kindersley at Weyburn, 7:30pm
March 11 Weyburn at Kindersley, 7pm
March 12 Weyburn at Kindersley, 7pm
March 14 Kindersley at Weyburn, 7:30pm *
March 16 Weyburn at Kindersley, 7pm *
March 18 Kindersley at Weyburn, 7:30pm *

* if necessary

posted by - Troy K

Terriers, Hawks Advance!

It was a devastating loss for the Estevan Bruins as they blew an early 2-0 lead and fell 4-3 to the Yorkton Terriers. The Bruins scored twice in the first four minutes of the hockey game but the Terriers were resillient and fought back for the 4-3 victory, dominating the play in the third period on their way to victory. Cody Zubko would be the hero for the Terriers as he scored the game winner with just over ten minutes to play with Kyle Block picking up the lone assist. Corey Silverson tied the game up for the Terriers earlier in the third. Unfortunately the online scoring was not working from Yorkton tonight so as of now I cannot give you any further scoring details. I do know that Lynden Sammartino picked up the win for the Terriers making 22 saves. Karsten Felske was in goal for the Bruins and made 31 saves. The Bruins loss means that Payden Benning, Kyle Ermel, Nick Colliton, Riley Hughes, Kealin Wong and David Ritz have all played their final SJHL games. Best of luck to all of them in their future endeavours.

Meanwhile, the Nipawin Hawks went 4/10 on the power play as they got by the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-3. Taylor Thiessen had a goal and two assists for the Hawks. Torrie Dyck and Brent Ottmann each added a goal and an assist. Mike Rey also scored for Nipawin. Steve Mason chipped in with two assists. Blair Toms also added his 7th assist of the series on Rey's goal. Jordie Johnston and Everette Lerner each had a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves. David Lawrence also scored. Tyler Karst added two assists while Dustin Stevenson and Codie Pederson also got assists. Derek Kleinsteuber made 27 saves for the win while Jonathan Jobin made 24 saves in the La Ronge goal. Referee Adam Byblow was not in the good books of La Ronge coach Bob Beatty at the end of the game. The loss by the Ice Wolves brings an end to the junior careers of Jordie Johnston, Jeff Ratt, Jarrid Dowhay, Codie Pederson, Ryan Desjarlais, Calvin Fiddler, Kenny Neufeld, and Tyler Karst. Best of luck to all of those players in their future whether it be in hockey or outside of hockey.

It is widely expected that all of the division semis will start on Friday March 7th. If I was a betting man, the series will look like this.

Sherwood:

Weyburn versus Kindersley
Melville versus Yorkton

Itech:

Humboldt versus Nipawin
Melfort versus Flin Flon


- Brad M.

Bruins Stave off Eliminations in Game 5!

The Estevan Bruins will live to see another day as they posted a big 4-1 home ice victory over the Yorkton Terriers on Saturday night. The Bruins led 1-0 after a period of play as Kyle Stroh picked up the goal from Kealin Wong and Payden Benning. Benning would put the Bruins up 2-0 just 2:22 into the second period with assists going to Colton MacPherson and Nick Colliton. The Terriers would get on the board next as Michael Trebish scored on the power play from Bryan Hull and Kurtis Decker to cut the Bruins lead in half. Stroh would put the Bruins up 3-1 just over a minute into the third period with a power play goal assisted on by Chad Filteau. Brant Harris would then put the nail in the coffin at the 4:00 mark of the third from Brennan Wrigley and Filteau. Karsten Felske picked up the win in goal for the Bruins as he made 34 saves, while Lynden Sammartino took the loss for the Terriers allowing four goals on 27 shots. Referee Todd Sharpe was injured in the first period but stayed in the game. The teams get right back at it tomorrow night in Yorkton with Game 6. The Terriers no doubt would like to win this game so that they don't have to return to Estevan for a Game 7 on Tuesday night. Game time in Yorkton on Sunday night is 7:30. For those interested in listening on-line you can catch the Yorkton broadcast on GX94 with Craig Stein and Blaine Weyland or the Estevan broadcast at discoverestevan.com with Darryl Russell.

In La Ronge, the Nipawin Hawks won a huge game on the road, 7-2, to take a 3-2 lead in the series over the La Ronge Ice Wolves. Brent Ottmann scored twice and added an assist to lead the way for the Hawks. Youngster Kenton Miller, a Redvers product, also scored twice for Nipawin. Taylor Thiessen added a goal and an assist for the Hawks. Todd Panchyson and Jordon Miller also scored for Nipawin. Cody Wutzke added three assists for the Hawks. Steve Mason, Keldon Sanderson, Blair Toms and Trent Rumpel all added assists. Everette Lerner has really picked up his play in the playoffs as he had a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves to take over the SJHL playoff scoring lead. Jules Boucher also scored for La Ronge who got single assists from Dustin Stevenson, Tyler Karst and Adam Moar. Derek Kleinsteuber picked up the win for the Hawks while Jonathan Jobin was off his game tonight being pulled after allowing six goals through two periods of play. Brian Kaval allowed one goal in the third period in relief of Jobin. The teams will play Game 6 in Nipawin at 6:30. Game 7 if necessary would go back in La Ronge on Tuesday night. Game 6 will be available on CK750 online with Kenny Trenton or La Ronge's MBC radio with Dallas Hicks.

The Humboldt Broncos scored the game tying goal with six seconds left as they tied the Melfort Mustangs 2-2. The game tying goal by Jordan Schindel clinched the Itech conference selection series for Humboldt and saves a trip to Flin Flon on Monday night. The Mustangs got goals from Riley Clark(assisted from Jason Walker and Cameron Larson) and Nick Kalnicki (unassisted) to take a 2-0 lead after two periods of play. Russ Nielsen cut the lead to 2-1 just 3:25 into the third period from Voldy Dashko and Taylor Pillar. This set up the game tying heroics from Schindel as Laurent Benjamin and Brayden Klimosko assisted on the goal. Ilia Ejov made 26 saves in the Melfort goal. His counterpart, Taylor Nelson, stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced. Although it is a no-brainer in the Sherwood Conference as to who the Melville Millionaires will pick (the winner of the elimination series between Estevan and Yorkton), it may not be as certain in the Itech. Humboldt may choose to face the Mustangs or Bombers rather than the Hawks or Ice Wolves. I guess we will all know soon enough.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Brent Ottmann - Nipawin Hawks (three point night in big Hawks victory)
** Kyle Stroh - Estevan Bruins (two big goals in win over Yorkton)
*** Karsten Felske - Estevan Bruins (34 save performance in win over Terriers)

- Brad M.

SJHL players of the month!

* Courtesy of www.sjhl.ca

Saturday, March 01, 2008


SJHL FORWARD OF THE MONTH
Winner: Torrie Dyck, Nipawin Hawks
Highlights: Dyck finished the regular season with 8-points in 8-games, but he has earned this nod with his dominating effort in the Itech Conference Elimination Series that has seen him rack up 9-points in 4-games, including 5-goals and 4-assists. Of his 5-playoff goals so far, Dyck has one game winner, which came in overtime of game four. He has had two multiple goal games in the playoffs and three multiple point games.
Runners-up: Josh Bray, Weyburn Red Wings; Daniel Hope, Melville Millionaires, Reid MacLeod, Flin Flon Bombers; Bryan Hull, Yorkton Terriers.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE MONTH
Winner: Brady Wacker, Humboldt Broncos
Highlights: The Broncos have had a smooth sailing regular season and they have many players on their roster to thank for that as several has stepped up at different points in the season. During the month of February, Wacker re-emerged on defense with 2-goals and 4-assists in his final 7-regular season games. He also picked up a goal and an assist in the first Itech Conference Selection Series game that he played against the Flin Flon Bombers. Wacker is part of a star studded cast on the back end in Humboldt and during the month of February, it was his turn to shine.
Runners-up: Taylor Thiessen, Nipawin Hawks; Jordan Pawelec, Yorkton Terriers; Myles Masse, Nipawin Hawks; Tyler Karst, La Ronge Ice Wolves.

SJHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Winner: Taylor Nelson, Humboldt Broncos
Highlights: Nelson has been tremendous all season and it is starting to get difficult to determine an ‘average’ month as compared to a stand-out month for him as sometimes even the ‘average’ stretches work out to something much better for others at the position. But, Nelson was fabulous anyway you cut it in February. He finished the regular season with four straight wins in the month, a .961-SPCT, a 1.00 GAA, and 1-shutout. He upped that in the playoffs by going 2-and-0, 0.50, .983 in the two Selection Series home games against Flin Flon and Melfort.
Runners-up: Derek Kleinsteuber, Nipawin Hawks; Joe Rodwell, Melville Millionaires; Carsen Chubak, Flin Flon Bombers; Ilia Ejov, Melfort Mustangs.

SJHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Winner: Aaron DeCorby, Melville Millionaires
Highlights: DeCorby has formed 1/3 of Melville’s most dangerous line down the stretch with Daniel Hope and Levi Lind. DeCorby did more than hold his own as he fired three goals and six assists in nine games in the regular season. He also has one goal in two playoff games during the Sherwood Conference Selection Series. After a slow start because of a shoulder injury, DeCorby rallied to finish with 12-goals and 12-assists in 41-games for the regular season and he figures to be a top performer in Melville for the next couple of seasons.
Runners-up: Rylan Schwartz, Notre Dame Hounds; Adam Moar, La Ronge Ice Wolves; Brant Harris, Estevan Bruins; Rhett Bly, Weyburn Red Wings.